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Carpeting within the home provides a comfortable walking surface for bare feet. In fact, carpeting lasts for many years with proper cleaning on a periodic basis. However, the carpet may need to be stretched after several years of use; it is commonly held down to the subfloor through tack strips along the floor's edge. Determining if the carpet needs to be stretched requires some observation and testing along the questionable carpet area.

Damage

Depending on the carpet's depth, there may be cuts or other damage to the base structure. If the carpet's base is damaged in a large area, the surrounding carpet will become loose. It is good practice to look carefully among the carpet fibers for any obvious signs of cuts to the base. If necessary, you can use a flashlight to look even closer into the carpet pile. Finding a relatively large cut should prompt you to stretch the carpet as soon as possible.

Lumps and Wrinkles

A carpet with no cuts or damage can still require a stretching. If you look down at the carpet, it may have visible lumps and wrinkles from years of use. For example, moving a long-standing piece of heavy furniture to another area can cause the carpet to warp in the original area. Lumps and wrinkles will appear throughout the rest of the carpet body in response to furniture and foot traffic. If necessary, you can crouch down and look at the top of the carpet; if it looks like a bumpy, mountainous surface, it will require stretching.

Carpet Test

Some carpets can hide their need for stretching. As a solution, you can insert an awl tool into the center of the carpet. After inserting the tool, you will need to use it to pull the carpet upward by approximately 1 inch. Once you remove the tool from the carpet, you can watch its movement as it returns to the subfloor; if it does not return to the floor quickly, it will need to be stretched. This awl testing process works well with deep pile carpets so that the small hole made by the tool is hidden by the fibers afterward.

Edges

Another carpet stretch determination strategy is inspecting the edges. The carpet should be affixed to the room's edges with tack strips; these strips house sharp tines that hold the carpet in place. You can walk around the room and observe the edges. If you see any carpet uplift at the edges, the area will need to be stretched. Any carpet loosening from the tack strips will cause a loose carpet.

About the Author

Writing professionally since 2010, Amy Rodriguez cultivates successful cacti, succulents, bulbs, carnivorous plants and orchids at home. With an electronics degree and more than 10 years of experience, she applies her love of gadgets to the gardening world as she continues her education through college classes and gardening activities.